Question

HomeKit

  • 14 September 2016
  • 53 replies
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Will sonos be partnering with HomeKit like they have done with amazon???????????

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53 replies

Userlevel 3
Same tough question here... I really love my Play:1 and I would consider selling all my current audio installation (speakers, amps...) and my soul to Sonos. BUT I would like to integrate Sonos to my home setup (currently a mix of Apple HomeKit compatible products and Logitec Harmony remotes), I will not complicate my "solution" more! The lack of HomeKit support is the reason I am not buying more Sonos products for the moment. I'll check out again mid-January - maybe the Christmas and CES season would have brought good news!
Sonos, you opened your doors to Amazon - do the same with HomeKit. Consider the number of Apple users who are now checking what is compatible with Siri and HomeKit - and multiply by the number of Sonos speakers you can sell to them! 🙂
Userlevel 2
This would be great. Not all of us use Alexa, and with iOS 10 especially it looks like Apple will be investing hugely in HomeKit (which I have started using as a result). +1 for Sonos/HomeKit support!
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Yesss, absolutly needed! Otherwise this would be a deal breaker for me.
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+1

"Hey Siri, play You Am I in the bathroom" would be neat.
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It would be great if they did and then hopefully you could use sonos alongside Phillips hue bulbs. It would be great to use the wake up light function with hue along with sonos music as your alarm.
Userlevel 3
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As someone who has invested heavily into the Apple ecosystem with quite a number of Sonos products as well in my household, I too would love Sonos to become HomeKit capable.
Userlevel 5
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As yet there is no box "to rule them all"

Someone will win. But who will it be. Juggling several different and incompatible systems is a complete nightmare. Alexa is leading the way, especially with its long awaited release in Europe at the end if October, whilst Homekit still hasn't decided if it wants to work properly and Siri still sucking the battery life out of your device.
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Amazon Echo is being released next week in the UK. I have ordered one and am expecting it to arrive on Wednesday (28th). I am expecting to find it interesting. Yet, I would still much prefer to have Sonos work with Apple's HomeKit.
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Wonder if this is a sign that Siri may someday be enabled for control functions, now that Apple has opened it up for use by App developers? Certainly a positive direction for Sonos & Apple:

http://press-us.sonos.com/136633-sonos-coming-to-an-apple-store-near-you
Userlevel 7
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Wonder if this is a sign that Siri may someday be enabled for control functions, now that Apple has opened it up for use by App developers? Certainly a positive direction for Sonos & Apple:

http://press-us.sonos.com/136633-sonos-coming-to-an-apple-store-near-you


No


This is clearly a sign that you will shortly be able to buy Play 1 and Play 5 speakers in an Apple store. It means no more and no less than that.
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Thanks for the insight.
Userlevel 7
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Thanks for the insight.

Sonos very rarely give us insight into their plans- Recently they announced a focus on streaming services and voice control and then even more recently they have announced a tie in with Alexa.
This is very atypical Sonos behaviour in terms of announcing.

NOBODY who posts on these boards has any insight beyond speculation.

Employees of Sonos (Identified) will either not be aware (bamboo curtains) or be under a 3 line whip to keep Mum, Beta testers (Private) who will obviously have a few weeks or months notice are bound by NDAs.

In terms of Siri my personal view is that it is a no-brainer for Sonos to explore this option even if they risk upsetting non Apple users. But even if they don't there is bound to be 3rd party developers jumping on the band wagon.
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Stuart, I am aware of and agree with everything you say. I may not post often, but am a long-time Sonos owner and enthusiast (bought my first Connect in 2008, although it was called ZP90 back then) and I spend quite a bit of time on this board. I was merely speculating if this is a step toward something more. It is unusual, although not totally unprecedented, for Apple to sell products on their website and in store that do not in some way integrate with the Apple ecosystem. By integration I mean more than just having a control app. Example, Belkin WeMo products have an app for control but they have never been sold directly by Apple on their website or in store.

I don't see why introducing Siri control to the Sonos app would upset non Apple users. I think it makes business sense for Sonos to go beyond Amazon Echo and DOT connectivity. I'm not an Android user, but I would view it as a positive step if Sonos added voice control to the Android app. I would welcome Amazon, Apple and Google control integration. HomeKit compatibility may be a more difficult thing to incorporate, particularly with the laudable Sonos practice of not introducing changes that render older Sonos hardware obsolete. But building Siri control into the app seems achievable and in line with Sonos' stated plans to embrace advancements in and trends toward home automation.
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Ken, Apple music. Perfect fit with Sonos. Lifestyle integration.

I have a house full of Apple stuff because I like the way it all works together without fuss. Since getting Sonos and joining Deezer (I wonder how long they will last) I rarely listen to the huge amount of stuff on my NAS. It's easy to substitute Apple music whuch is where I am likely to head when Deezer disappears.
Please add HomeKit support!
I am really happy with all my Sonos products - but I am missing that Sonos is HomeKit ready.
Hope Sonos in the near future will make a solution with HomeKit
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Picking up on KenS comments with regards 'backwards compatibility'; I own a Tado heating control system and their solution is to offer a discounted replacement 'bridge' which is able to connect to the homekit. As somebody who 'grew-up' with the Sonos bridge, if that was the limiting factor, then a similar solution would be a step in the right direction. I see the integration into Apple (and other formats) the only way to survive, otherwise new customers into the Audio market will find other solutions - I see a great plus, for my music to be switched on and off depending on my geolocation (whether I'm home or not), it'd also be more 'eco friendly', as how many people go round switching everything off before they leave the house ?? - Go HOMEKIT ... please.
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Not sure if it helps, but Homebridge is a gateway to connect your iDevice with many other devices witch are not yet HomeKit compatible, including Sonos.
For sure, it requires some nerd skills, a Raspberry Pi to install it, but it worth it. I did it to set up my entire KNX automation at home and as soon as I get some Sonos, I will connect it to Homebridge. Maybe I should think for a career shift lol.
Have a look at it :https://github.com/nfarina/homebridge-sonos
Well, Apple has just about shut down their ill-fated car project, so maybe they will finally throw enough resources at their home automation projects to catch up with Amazon and Google, who are light years ahead. Not sure why anyone would want to lock themselves into Apple's ecosystem though, when there are two far more open alternatives...
I have a large network of Sonos players and would love home kit integration. No reason why it could not be implemented with the addition of a new bridge, similar to what Philips did with Hue. I would gladly pay for a new bridge for the functionality.
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I do agree, I would rather like Sonos to be compatible with Apple HomeKit than Amazon. Please have this integration in the future.
I've been planning to buy Sonos for some time but am waiting to see if they or anyone else support HomeKit first. I don't want to buy any hardware that isn't future proof at this point.
Intersting perspective.

I think they'll likely finish the announced integration with Amazon's Echo first, before moving on to anyone else's systems. Not saying it won't happen, though. Unfortunately Sonos tends not to share much of their roadmap with us consumers. I was surprised they announced the Echo integration, it's the first thing they've pre-announced in recent memory.

Being a pleased owner of Sonos products, I have the feeling that I enjoy the benefits now, without the need to wait for additional features later. They'll be great when they happen, in the meantime, I'm thoroughly happy with the system as it works.

I wouldn't mind if they'd announce something like that, but I'm not holding my breath. I would encourage you not to hold yours, either.
Hi atomick, I'v also installed homebridge on a Raspi and added the Sonos plugin. So far in the Apple "home" app they show up as "switches" which means you can only turn them on or off. I'm gonna try other home kit compatible apps, which also might allow at least volume control. But never the less, it's coll to say "good night " to siri and she turns off the lights and all speakers 🙂. nevertheless I also would highly appreciate Sonos to become HomeKit compatible. Looking forward.
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I'm just starting to completely automate my home and i started out by buying 7 Sonos Speakers for certain areas of my home where i would not install ceiling speakers, i'm also looking to buy another 5, i was told that Sonos speakers are amazing and it's really easy to work...but as i look forward i'm wondering if i made a mistake, my lights, thermostat and blinds will be HomeKit compatible...i want everything run on 1 app and as i'm reading more and more it doesn't look as though they will be part of the Apple eco system.

should i keep investing in a product that i am not sure will meet my wants and needs???